Indigenous musician Baker Boy has taken to Instagram to share his thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement as protests continue globally following the death of George Floyd.
Joining in the widespread ‘Blackout Tuesday’ movement on Instagram yesterday, Baker Boy – whose real name is Danzal Baker – addressed concerns he said he received from a number of people who questioned why he had remained apolitical in the time of global upheaval.
“As my Baker Boy persona I choose a path of positivity and light and choose not to speak politically with this platform,” Baker explained. “I’m also unsure that I have anything new or insightful to say. I don’t feel like it is anyone’s place to push guilt or question the activism of a First Nations person during this traumatising time.”
As he continued, Baker explained that he feels “angry” and “scared” in relation to what happened to Floyd, and opened up about the reality of racism in Australia today.
“I feel these emotions EVERY DAMN DAY not just right now when it’s big on the news or trending on twitter and Instagram,” he explained.
“This is my life and I am scared, I have anxiety about going to unknown places like a different cafe from my usual, not to mention the challenge of touring from the fear of racism, that, yes, is still rampant here in Australia too.”
Advising his non-indigenous followers to use current events as an opportunity to make themselves aware of their privilege, Baker urged everyone to be aware of “the realities of what it is like to be a Person of Colour, an African American, an Indigenous Australian”, and express his hope that their “activism goes further than your social media”.
“Please think about the way you are communicating with POC around you, especially at this time, as those who reached out to me considered themselves allies whilst amplifying my trauma, anger and sadness.”
Read Baker Boy’s full Instagram post below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7Hc6tB5iu/
I have had a number of people ‘call me out’ for not publicly sharing my rage about what is happening right now. As my Baker Boy persona I choose a path of positivity and light and choose not to speak politically with this platform. I’m also unsure that I have anything new or insightful to say. I don’t feel like it is anyone’s place to push guilt or question the activism of a First Nations person during this traumatising time.
But I will say;
I am a Yolngu Man from North East Arnhem Land.
I am angry. I am scared. I feel every negative emotion that there is to feel about what happened to George Floyd.
I feel these emotions EVERY DAMN DAY not just right now when it’s big on the news or trending on twitter and Instagram. This is my life and I am scared, I have anxiety about going to unknown places like a different cafe from my usual, not to mention the challenge of touring from the fear of racism, that, yes, is still rampant here in Australia too.
For all of my balanda (non-indigenous) brothers and sisters I hope what you’re seeing in America right now is opening your eyes to the stolen land that you live on here in Australia, to your privilege, to those ‘jokes’, to those ‘jokes’ that you don’t call out, to your racist uncle or aunt or cousin or friend or coworker and, most devastatingly, opening your eyes to the over 400 deaths in custody of Indigenous Australians without a single officer charged.
As your eyes open and you slowly awaken to the realities of what it is like to be a Person of Colour, an African American, an Indigenous Australian, I truly hope your activism goes further than your social media. Activism starts at home, with hard conversations.
Please think about the way you are communicating with POC around you, especially at this time, as those who reached out to me considered themselves allies whilst amplifying my trauma, anger and sadness.
Love and Peace, Danzal.
